Suggestions on shaker motor for topsoil screener

[Larry_Van_Horn]

Folks,
I am building my topsoil screener and will have pictures soon. The basic design is 6x6 posts at each corner, connected by lag bolted 2x10s to produce a 6x8' square 8 ft high. I then have welded up a tray of that dimension and secured 9 gauge mini-mesh chain link fence to the tray. I suspend this from the posts with chain so that it hangs on an angle. I want to be able to dump 1000 pounds on it at a time.

Now for the question - how to get the tray to shake. I purchased a Vibco pneumatic vibrator but it was too small to make it shake. I might try a larger one, but they said that even the larger 55-2 piston vibrator might not be enough to get it moving. So I figured I might have to get a small gas engine and do the off-center pillow-block thinggy. I am just not clear on how this is designed and worked out. Anyone have any suggestions or designs for getting this thing chaking cheap? I have searched and looked at all the posts here but don't have the clarity I need.

I will post pictures of this thing when I get it done.
Thanks,
Larry

 

[Yankee]

Naturally, it depends entirely on how much screening you need to do, but my experience with screening has been with a hardware cloth-covered, ground-standing frame and a shovel. Pick up a shovelful, dump it at the top of the screen, repeat until pile at bottom is all rocks.

Why not do something similar, except with a stouter frame and your FEL?

Bill

 

[RonR]

Larry,

I've seen pics (probably here) where guys mount a 3-5 HP gas motor to the shaker screen. The motor has an unbalanced weighted sprocket or pulley on it, so it shakes the motor and screen like crazy. I can't imagine engines would last long in that scenario, but it's a shot.

1000# on it at a time will take quite a vibration to shake as I see it.

Be sure to post pics......

Ron

 

[40Kchicks]

Larry

This sounds like a great project but I’m wondering if it would be easier to build a rotating screen drum. I believe they call these a trommel. A topsoil company that occasionally gets chicken manure from me has one that works great or so he says. I haven’t actually seen it work.

Good Luck
Eric

 

[Larry_Van_Horn]

Eric,
That actually sounds like a great idea. Given that I have already fabbed up everything though, converting it to rotating would be a lot of work. Thanks for the thought.
L

 

[have_blue]

Well, I can't help much with your screener, but there are 2 engines that are way better than the rest. Honda and Robin. Neither will let you down. The Briggs Industrials are good too, but in the 2nd tier compared to the 2 above.

Get an old mower crankshaft and rod and put it on a pillow block with a big pulley. Attach a pin the size of the wrist pin on one corner of the frame. Use a small pulley on the engine. It'll shake the fillings right out of your teeth. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Larry_Van_Horn]

Ron,
This is along the lines of what I had in mind, but I am a bit unclear as to the specifics. At the most basic level I guess you would take a motor, fix it to the screen, and then put an offcenter weight on the shaft and spin away. Though simple I too think it would kill the bearings pretty quick. I was thinking you would need a motor driving (via a belt) some pully that has an off center weight, but again it isn't crytal in my mind.
Larry

 

[Sarge]

Larry- I'm in the process of building the same thing, but you seem to be further along the me. My design is going to be about the same and I'm stuck with what to use as a shaker. I just got a brochure from VIBCO and trying to decide what model to use???? Another option that I was thinking about was taking a cam shaft and mounting a pulley on one end and hooking up some BELT driven motor. I have to believe that any thing direct drive is going to kill the motor. The idead is to have the shaker frame ride on top of the cam shaft at one end of it and hopefully do its thing. I'm sure you won't want the entire weight sitting on the cam cause the motor will never turn. Granted my little B1700 FEL won't be dumping as much weight at one time as yours, but it might be worth a try /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Sarge

 

[Larry_Van_Horn]

Sarge,
Well let me tell you what my conversation with the Vibco folks about my project turned up. I had gotten a turbine vibratory motor from Grainger (the VS 160 I think), and when I hooked it up to the frame their was very little vibration and the frequency was too high. I wanted more shaking going on. The man at Vibco suggested that a better alternative would be the piston vibrator model 55-2. He still thought that might be a bit too small as well but worth a try. I liked the idea of a pneumatic vibrator as it is easy to hook up and engineer. Price is OK too at a couple hundred bucks, but if it doesn't do the job /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Larry

 

[mahlers]

Have you thought about searching for a used Wacker Jumping-Jack type compactor? A buddy of mine picked a 2-stroke unit up for about $200 and it runs like crazy. You could build it into your system, and attach the compacting plate at the base to whatever it is you want to shake, and guaranteed it will shake.